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I have had more than one Lotus cars.

Yep! The MAP sensor is really just there for barometric compensation. A TPS controls the tables. I can share my map that was done on a dyno for my 2.4L. I'll shoot you a PM.

bingo

Even in the single throttle cars? I would have expected the MBE to be a VE model at least, but nothing wrong with Alpha-N as long as it has the right compensations. I'm very interested in checking out a map if anyone has one to share. I took a read through the posts and I see what you mean about something beyond the map being the cause. I'm suspicious of the TPS and MAP readings from his screenshot. It's possible he doesn't have MAP if using pure Alpha-N, but the TPS is critical and should read 0% with the engine off. Of course, that's assuming it was set to 0% when the mapping was done, in which case would explain some of the richness. I know the MBE's use load site based axis, mapping volts instead of throttle percentages, but this Pectel seems to be percent based no?

SOLD

@redursidae welcome to the world of se7ens where Alpha-N is the norm. Even the MBE in new Caterhams employs this older strategy with time-based injector control. It's certainly not as good as a VE-based PID control, but it's certainly possible to achieve good behavior with these less sophisticated ECUs. Over the last 22 years, I've run Emerald and MBE on Duratecs with ITBs and have never had running issues related to the mapping strategy. Your advice is spot on when it's time to replace the Pectel, but I suspect @Vovchandr's issues run far beyond his map or mapping strategy. Fuel milage doesn't plummet by 40% unless there is some kind of failure. He needs to address that first. I suppose it's possible that the Pectel has a driver failure that is intermittently holding open an injector, but other than that, I'd start by looking at all sensors that can trim the injection map, run a compression and leak down, then check injector flow to see if one or more is bad. If the AFR numbers provided above are accurate, I'd be very concerned about bore wash. Given all the issues with this particular engine over the years, I suspect there are multiple things going on. Occam's razor won't apply.

I strongly suggest a modern ECU tuned with a VE model and at the very least short term PID control of fueling. Judging by your screenshot, the Pectel is injection time based and pure Alpha-N? That’ll be rough to get consistent. Also is your TPS always at 10%? Because that’s a problem considering that’s your main sensor

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pethier/ Birkin in garage, backed up to shop door

The starter from the green Birkin has lots of Bosch South Africa notations and a little Ford oval. It has no number on the part of it shown in the photo below. =================================================================== The starter from Steve's Birkin has a Ford number. F32U-11131-AA

@JohnCh only once. When we were out of gas I attempted to crank the starter twice. Seemed like definitely out of gas. As soon as get got the 2 gallons of fuel in via jerry can , cranked and started immediately. Definitely seemed like out of gas.

If your totals and fill procedure above are accurate, and assuming your car wasn't used to smuggle anything into the country via a hidden compartment in the fuel tank, I wonder if you experienced a fuel delivery issue, that is discrete from your gauge accuracy? Either some kind of blockage in the tank or the fuel pump cutting out? Has this only happened once?

The Caterhams sold in the USA with Zetec engines came with the starter on the right hand side from the drivers seat and up higher under the intake manifold. The picture you are showing has the starter mounted low on the left and it would be below the exhaust. There are flywheel differences that affect the starter motor and clutch. It is my understanding that Caterham never sold Zetec powered cars in the UK. The cars in the UK with Zetec used a bell housing like yours. I do not have any experience with Burkins, but the T-9 transmissions in Caterham all have the longer input shaft. You might be able to find a starter alternator rebuild shop who can identify the starter, but there aren’t many around any more. Race line in the UK might be able to help you. They sell all the different parts.

The starter is on the left side of the engine as shown in the 11Budlite photo. These starters were held in with M10x1.5mm socket-head cap screws. On the Birkin one of these bolts is loosened with a long extension setup 8mm hex drive in the cockpit through a hole in the footwell. This was a surprise to me, since the Caterham footwell allowed me to reach all the starter bolts from under the car. I think on the Birkin I am going to replace that socket-head cap screw with a hex bolt that can be tightened with an open-end wrench.

I do not blame you for not following the bread crumbs. To recap: The original Caterham 1700 Super Sprint engine, bellhousing, and T9 transmission is now in another state, destined to be installed in a Lotus 7. My autocross friend Steve is building his Birkin into an electric car. He sold me all his gasoline stuff, including Zetec, Birkin bellhousing, and T9. I had a problem (too goofy to recount here) with "The Steve Engine". "The Steve Engine" is from a 1996 Contour. Ron, another autocross friend, is an engine mechanic and dyno tuner. Ron is going to clean and balance "The Steve Engine". To fill in, I bought a junkyard engine from a 1996 Contour (after learning my lesson by buying the wrong Zetec). Alerted by our fine friends here on USA7s, I checked out a Birkin for sale up north in Minnesota (no, not in Lakeland where others had assumed), and bought it. This Birkin has a Zetec, Birkin bellhousing, and T9. I am soon going to provide more information and photos on these starters I have.

I don't know where the starter came from in my old Birkin, but this is a photo of the setup I had. The engine was from a '96 Contour and the gearbox was a T9 with the stock Birkin bellhousing operated with the slave cylinder mounted on the top of the gearbox cover. I'd be surprised if the bellhousing was the same between the Birkin and the Caterham because I believe the Birkin used the short input shaft, and the Caterham used the long input shaft on the gearbox. I know when I ordered the close ratio gearkit from BGH I had to tell him which input shaft I had. I guess yours could be different though. Is there a P/N on your starter?

As some of you may know, I ran out of gas on the road last week... that event was the catalyst to me finding out the gas tank should be closer to 9.5 gallons, with about 1.5 gallons un-usable. I was always under the assumption the tank was around 5 gallons, so this was great news to me. I also found out that I was filling up the gas incorrectly... just cuz the nozzle shuts off doesn't mean that it's full. I guess the size and shape of the tank makes the gas easily shut the nozzle off. My dealer told me the trick was to fill it much more slowly. I tried this today... I filled it until the nozzle shut off, then filled it more AS SLOWLY AS THE PUMP ALLOWED. I filled it until it overflowed, and then verified that the fuel was indeed filling up the section between the flap and the gas cap... and if I open the flap, it wasn't flowing down into the tank. The math is as follows: When I ran out of gas, I got a 2 gallon jerry can to fill it up. Then drove about 15 miles to a gas station, and filled it up 1 more gallon (it shut the nozzle off so I stopped). Today, the total I was able to fill it up was 1.5 gallons. That seems like I'm still just totaling around 5 gallons. What is my dumb ass missing here? Somewhat related note... I have the @BruceBe fuel gauge mod... it's always designated full tank historically when it's about 1/4 tank and I fill up roughly 4 gallons.

Crap, I missed it!!

they're pretty fantastic. you should grab a pair.

Where does the starter motor mount on the bellhousing. That is an issue. I have a Zetec with the Focus engine and flywheel; it uses a bellhousing that mounts the starter under the intake manifold. My car uses a Focus starter. There are bellhousings that mount the starter down low. They are available to mount the start on either or both sides of the engine. I do not know what starter they use.

I have done that also. It has the advantage of not needing to buy Race Ramps, and the disadvantage of putting more strain on the trailer jack and the person powering the jack. Another factor to toss into the mix is how you get the car into the trailer: Push it, winch it, or drive it. For me, the best way for me to get any kind of car into my trailer is to winch it. With my 3000-pound Champion ATC winch, I can get my 3000-pound Cayman or one of my 1300-pound Sevens in placed exactly on the E-tracks by walking alongside the car with the steering wheel in on hand and a little wi-fi remote controller in the other. When the Champion remote died, I bought a two-pack of remotes of another brand from Amazon for lunch money. I devised a system using E-track parts to change the lateral position of the winch to suit the placement of the "extraction" connection on any car. The Elise is on centerline. The Cayman and Sevens are offset by various distances. Winching allows one to observe how everything is clearing. Also handy for cleaning the stones off your tires while the tread is still warm. If I was going to put a Seven into a motorcycle trailer, I'd want to winch it. With a light, narrow trailer, a smallish truck, and a Seven, the Taber10 method makes sense. Even if the trailer floor is uphill, the winch method makes placement a breeze. After you get the car placed, put your straps over the tires and disconnect the winch cable. Be careful when selecting the winch. I started with a 1500-pound winch of another brand from Horrible Freight. The design was faulty: It allowed the cable to climb over the rim of the spool and a get jammed between the spool and the frame. Don't bother with trying to wire the winch to your rig. A substantial jump box runs the winch just fine. I have my trailer set up with lugs inside near the right door to connect a jump box (or in a pinch, jumper cables). My trailer has a recessed step inside the door, and the jump box rides and operates there. The jump box is easily recharged in my shop or motel room.

I'm interested. Sent you a message.

Gorgeous photos.

Great article and photography!